I first saw Luckiest Girl Alive on Reese Witherspoon’s Instagram feed, and I knew that she was obviously going to buy the book’s film rights – would she be promoting it otherwise? Tracy Flick knows what she’s doing.
So when I found myself on a 5-hour flight, I knew that was the book I wanted to read, because Reese’s acquisition skills have been pretty solid: Gone Girl and Wild, so far, with Big Little Lies to come (with Nicole Kidman). Full Review

Grey, the book.
You read it? Click here if you missed Maria’s review.
I’ve stopped at 20%. Which means it’s worse than Fifty Shades Of Grey because at least with that one, I actually made it through the whole thing. You could argue that for Fifty Shades Of Grey, EL James knew what would appeal to *some* women, writing in a woman’s voice for a female audience. Full Review

Yesterday, Lainey wrote about the #AskELJames hashtag hijacking (click here for a refresher) and, having read the book, I can understand where (and who) those tweets are coming from. People like me who spent $11.99 on Grey.
I’ll start with the bad and get to the worse (things won’t get better): Grey is not the worst book I’ve ever read. Full Review

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I read Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress last year. You don’t need me to tell you that it’s great. She’s always great. What I loved about Stone Mattress though is that it didn’t feel like I was reading. It felt like I was remembering old stories told to me by a dear but mysterious aunt who only visits once a year, who’s seen and done more than I could possibly see and do, and who makes you believe that magic is elusive but that it exists. Full Review

Spoilers everywhere – come back if you haven’t finished.
You know, usually I am not afraid of endings. Usually I am the one who says things like “I’d rather something end well, early, than go on too long”. I am unsentimental, not because I’m heartless, but because usually, there are lots of things to love. Full Review

It’s a momentous day. There hasn’t been a day like this in almost 20 years. Today, Judy Blume releases her new book, In The Unlikely Event.
I know a lot of you feel the way Lainey and I feel about that. That Judy Blume ushered you through your childhood, was accessible but not overbearing and condescending in your adolescence, and somehow seemed to be a friend who’d always been there in adulthood. Full Review

Yesterday (over afternoon tea at The Langham – because what else do you talk about over finger sandwiches?), Lorella and I exchanged anecdotes about our favourite subject: Elvis. This is one of the bonds of our friendship. Years ago we discovered that we both went through a period of Elvis Obsession when we were about 12 years old. Full Review

Been on a really heavy reading streak the last few months. By heavy I mean volume and content. Part of it is that I let my shelf get too high. And I’ve been preparing for Canada Reads. The debates began today. Click here to see this year’s list. Full Review

Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest, The Buried Giant, is out today. The Guardian called it “Game Of Thrones with a conscience”. I loved Never Let Me Go. God, I loved that book. It’s a perfect winter book, as is The Buried Giant, during these last lonely days of dark and cold. I was in the mood for it this weekend and I mainlined it along with a few fingers of scotch. Full Review

But first…
Have you read Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park and Fangirl yet? Please do. I’m going to nag you about this until you do. And if we were in person together, I would withhold this list until you proved to me that you did.
Thanks for your patience re: my New Adult book binge. Full Review

Shameless self-promotion here but this was the deadline I’ve been referring to. I was writing a book. I WROTE A BOOK!
The book is called "Listen to the Squawking Chicken: When Mother Knows Best, What's a Daughter To Do? A Memoir (Sort Of)”.
So now you know who the true star is here: the Chinese Squawking Chicken. Full Review

The title of Helen Fielding’s new Bridget Jones novel Mad About The Boy was revealed in May – click here for a refresher. They’ve just released the book jacket. As you can see, along with a pair of stilettos, Bridge is surrounded by a toy giraffe, dinosaur, and a teddy bear. Full Review